In the dental field, dental loupes are one of the most important tools of the trade. This is because loupes help to improve the vision of the dentist and at the same time they also ensure better vision for the patient. Without a doubt, the right amount of magnification will make a real difference to the quality of dental treatment as well as accuracy of procedure.
However, the question that worries most dentists is dental loupes or dental microscopes? Dental magnification starts at about 2x and goes up from there. Ideally, a magnification of between 2x and 6x is sufficient for most dental work. Beyond this amount of magnification, things become difficult, which is when it becomes necessary for the dental professional to use a dental microscope, which is designed to provide the proper amount of magnification.
This means that if the dental professional is only going to perform routine tasks then he or she can make do with dental loupes. If there isn’t any need for too much detail like when performing endodontic procedures or even a dental surgery then the loupes are perfect. However, if the procedure to be performed requires more magnification like when looking for root apexes then it is necessary to use microscopes.
In most cases, dental loupes are sufficient for general practice. The good news is that major advances have been made in the field of optics to allow for the introduction of microscopes and surgical loupes that provide the required high amount of magnification.
Dental microscopes are designed to offer greater image detail and in this they are far superior to the best dental loupes. These dental microscopes can also be used to take stills photos and produce video footage. Such capabilities come in very handy when educating patients and for teaching as well as for keeping records. However, though dental microscopes offer greater magnification it pays to keep in mind that high magnification also means reduction in width of filed. This means that using dental microscopes when working in large sections of the oral cavity will not be an ideal situation because of reduction in the depth of field.
Dental microscopes however provide greater illumination, which is an important factor when performing certain kinds of dental procedures. Dental loupes can get illumination via accessories like dental headlights, which can be clipped on top of the frame of the glasses or fixed, on a headband. The good news is that this kind of illumination does not produce any shadows because the light is placed in the line of sight of the operator.
Nowadays both dental loupes as well as dental microscopes are being designed to provide high illumination. The right amount of illumination helps the dental operator perform cosmetic procedures as well as placing cosmetic restorations.
Thus, one can say that dental loupes are the right option when the procedure to be performed is not very specific. Dental microscopes on the other hand are the right option when the procedure requires greater attention to detail. Modern day loupes and dental microscopes provide not only the right amount of magnification but also the right amount of illumination. These two factors can help the dental professional perform their tasks with greater accuracy and precision.
Source by Young So
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